About the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3)

Transcription

1 2014

2 About the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) Every year, the video game industry gathers for the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), an annual trade show hosted by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) at the Los Angeles Convention Center marked E3 s 20 th anniversary, and the most exciting event yet. With approximately 45-50k gaming industry executives, media professionals and press, as well as over 200 exhibitors, E3 is the pinnacle event for the video game industry, and an eyeopener for those following consumer technology and media trends.

3 TRENDS FROM E3 & WHY THEY MATTER

4 VIRTUAL REALITY GAMING IS GETTING CLOSER TO REALITY E3 brought together two rival virtual reality (VR) products to showcase their capabilities : Oculus VR (purchased by Facebook in March for $2 billion) showed off its Oculus Rift headset, while Sony help appointment-only showings of their top-secret VR device, Project Morpheus. The buzz surrounding both products was immense, as developers and reporters were able to test the products with a variety of games to understand their potential capabilities, as well as compare and contrast the two devices.. Oculus Rift showed off three games: 3 rd person game Lucky's Tale, survival horror game Alien: Isolation, and shooter based game SuperHot. The developers kit currently available for purchase, with a consumer version on sale in early Project Morpheus demoed a castle game as well an amazing street luge game, both with sales dates to be determined.

5 VIRTUAL REALITY GAMING IS GETTING CLOSER TO REALITY Why This Matters To You LG HOMECHAT LINE As virtual reality gaming takes steps towards consumer adoption thanks to technology such as Occulus Rift and Project Morpheus, expect to see the technology become a part of broader media offerings in the near future. Allowing brands to provide consumers with the opportunity to prototype and test products and services from the comfort of their homes could be a massive step forward for virtual reality, as well as experiential marketing. From testing the blind spots in a car to checking out the storage in a new refrigerator, virtual reality has the potential to allow brands to increase physical contact with consumers easily and efficiently. PROJECT MORPHEUS HEADSET Sony s virtual reality headset for PlayStation4 (PS4) gaming system. PROJECT MORPHEUS Sony s virtual reality gaming system that takes the PS4 to the next level of immersive experiences. OCCULUS RIFT HEADSET Oculus VR s take on the virtual reality headset. 5

6 DIY BRINGS PLAYERS INTO THE CREATION EXPERIENCE The wild success of Minecraft has generated a new wave of do-it-yourself gamers and hacking communities that developers paid special attention to at this year s E3. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo announced highly anticipated games that allow players to build their own virtual levels. First announced at E3 in 2013, Microsoft's Project Spark allows players to create interactive content from a blank canvas that they can populate with a number of downloadable objects, ranging from trees and rocks to monsters and weapons. Sony s highly anticipated Little Big Planet 3 was unveiled with new features and characters, but stayed true to its previous versions with level creation components that can still be shared and played through the Playstation Network. Nintendo announced their own level creation sharing platform, Mario Maker, to a lot of excitement. The game offers a simple interface designed around the classic Super Mario Bros. imagery, tapping into the nostalgia of Super Mario Bros for gamers of all ages.

7 DIY BRINGS PLAYERS INTO THE CREATION EXPERIENCE MICROSOFT S PROJECT SPARK - Currently in open beta, has already had over 1MM users craft levels and content, and will be launching in full this fall. Why This Matters To You The emergence of open source platforms has become increasingly prevalent in the online space, giving users and brands more opportunities to create and customize than ever before. We are now seeing open source s clear impact on the gaming world. While open source gaming experiences have always been popular within underground gaming communities, the fact that developers and publishers are now promoting these types of games to broader audiences is especially noteworthy as we see this type of platform beginning to mainstream. This development will result in a new way for marketers to explore original opportunities within the gaming space. NINTENDO S MARIO MAKER - An interactive course builder that allows users to edit levels with assets from the original Super Mario Bros., launching in the first half of SONY S LITTLE BIG PLANET 3 - Now more focused on multiplayer gameplay with new characters being introduced. It launches in November 2014 for PS3 and PS4.

8 WHAT WAS OLD IS NEW AGAIN With no new video game consoles announced, it was no surprise that the focus of this year s E3 was on the actual games. However, with every new console cycle comes a lull in new games, driving developers to find ways to quickly fill in the gap with re-mastered old-school classics, like Grim Fandango, and rebooted recent blockbusters, like Last of Us, GTA 5, Batman: Arkham Knight, and the highly-buzzed Halo: The Master Chief Collection. The remastered edition of Grim Fandango will be a PlayStayion4 exclusive reissue, cementing their lead among classic gamers. Last of Us, GTA 5 and Batman: Arkham Knight announced re-releases for next-generation consoles, featuring significant improvements to graphics and access to more exclusive DLC packs to entice gamers back into the games. Exclusive to XboxOne, Halo: The Master Chief Collection will bring all four major Halo games together, remastered and playable in a seamless way, allowing gamers to experience the franchise as one very long adventure.

9 WHAT WAS OLD IS NEW AGAIN Why This Matters To You Much of what is considered to be innovative within the gaming industry is often actually the result of combining familiar genres. As gaming becomes increasing accessible through different environments and platforms (e.g. game consoles, smartphones, tablets, etc.), gamers no longer can be categorized by traditional stereotypes, and their interests increasingly vary. Repurposing established genres and ideas for a new generation of gamers is not only a safe route for developers, but provides exciting opportunities for rediscovery by older gamers. Understanding the historic gaming trends and titles that have paved the way for today s gaming culture might help marketers find ways to cultivate deeper relationships with gamers in fresh and inventive ways. MICROSOFT S GRIM FANDANGO This will be exclusive to Microsoft platforms but there are plans to rerelease it on more platforms in the near future, with launch date TBD. MICROSOFT S HALO: THE MASTER CHIEF COLLECTION This will be a compilation of the four core Halo games starring Master Chief, launching November 14, SONY S LAST OF US PS4 The re-mastered version will come with new multiplayer mappacks, and DLC extras, slated for release on July 29, 2014.

10 NEXT-GENERATION SPORTS The driving theme of EA s sports titles this year was emotion. With game characters expressing greater ranges of feelings than ever before, EA s next-generation sports games come off astonishingly lifelike, helping gamers feel like they are truly a part of the action and on the field (or court). Games like UFC, NHL 15, PGA Round, NFL 15 and FIFA 15 offer advances around gameplay, but focus predominately on emotional intelligence, with game characters showing hundreds of new emotions and reactions based on a match s context, bringing unparalleled realism to the experience.

11 NEXT-GENERATION SPORTS EA SPORTS UFC Features a virtual Bruce Lee as a UFC player option, coming to Xbox One and PS4 on June 17, Why This Matters To You With passionate fanbases in the sports and gaming arenas, merging these two worlds has always been a successful equation for developers, gamers and even marketers. EA Sports took things to the next level by adding a human touch and giving gamers more of what they want: real-life gaming experiences. As marketers, immersive, real-time experiences equates to more seamless integrations for our brands. With the expected continuation of technological advancements within the gaming space, the opportunities for original integrations will only increase. MADDEN NFL 15 Introduces new camera angles to heighten the defensive game, coming to Xbox One and PS4 on August 26, EA SPORTS FIFA 15 - Features more realistic physics and emotional intelligence than previous versions, coming to Xbox One and PS4 on September 23, 2014.

12 Major Developer Announcements

13 Sony focused the majority of their E3 presentation on specific gaming titles. However, there were new technology developments worth noting: PlayStation TV is both a gaming device and a media streaming player, similar to Apple TV or Roku. The main differentiator is that it is the only device providing a video gaming experience that goes past casual gaming, featuring 1K PS Vita, PSP, PS One and PS3 titles at launch. The device will debut at $99 this fall, and there will be a $139 bundle that includes a DualShock 3 controller, an 8GB memory card and a copy of The Lego Movie video game as an attempt to appeal to families. Many trade publications are speculating that this could be the beginning of Sony s goal of creating its own Internet-based overthe-top (OTT) pay-tv service. PlayStation Now is a cloud-based streaming service that will allow players to relive classic Playstation titles on new Playstation devices (e.g. PS4, Playstation TV) and Sony TVs. As Sony s answer to the PS4 s lack of reverse compatibility (i.e. it can t play discs from older systems), it will enter its beta phase on July 31 st on the PS4. Sony has confirmed that most games will be priced between $2.99 and $19.99, depending on the rental period. There will also eventually be subscription offerings. Playstation TV Playstation Now Key Game Announcements: Destiny (along with a new white PS4 bundle pack), Mortal Kombat X, Far Cry 4, Arkham Knight. Destiny White PS4 Bundle

14 Microsoft did some backtracking since last year s E3 announcements, when Microsoft debuted the Xbox One, focusing on entertainment first and games second. This year, their E3 conference was dedicated entirely to gaming. With no mention of the Kinect or any other Xbox hardware updates, it s clear that they are attempting to get back to their core gaming roots. Since last year s E3, the Kinect has been unbundled from the Xbox One in an effort to provide competitive pricing to the PlayStation4. It is now unlikely that developers will be creating new games for this technology, since Xbox is not actively putting any support behind it. Assassin s Creed: Unity Halo: The Master Chief Collection Key Game Announcements: Assassin s Creed: Unity, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Forza Horizon 2, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Crackdown, Sunset Overdrive. Sunset Overdrive

15 While Nintendo s presentation was leaner than some of the other presentations, they focused on a few key game updates: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS headlined Nintendo s E3 lineup, with the reveal that users can now import their Mii characters into the game to battle against classic Nintendo characters. Amiibo, Nintendo s toys to life project, akin to Disney Infinity and Skylander, made its official debut at E3 and will be launching with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. This provided proof that Nintendo is once again focused on pursuing dominance in the family friendly market. Super Smash Bros. Key Game Announcements: Super Smash Bros, Splatoon, Mario Maker, The Legend of Zelda. Amiibo for Wii U

16 Other Developer News This year it was evident that game developers are attempting to walk the fine line of providing experiences for both current generation consoles and the older (but still popular) versions of consoles like Xbox and PlayStation. Warner Bros. showed a strong line up, including Batman Arkham Knight and Mortal Combat X and may have surprise hit with Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor. Activision teased the new Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, as well as Destiny, the newest, biggest and most highly anticipated IP from Halo developers Bungie. As more information becomes available around the game, the more excited the public seems to become, demonstrated by the 1M strong social community achieved across social media platforms months before the game is available. With a September release, the anticipation for Destiny continues to grow. Developers, for the most part, have invested in continuing to push current major franchises (e.g. Call Of Duty, Assassins Creed) while working to bring new titles (and hopefully future franchises) to the marketplace. Ubisoft had few surprises, but a wide variety of games including: New Assassins Creed set in the French Revolution Shape Up, an Xbox Oneexclusive fitness title that leverages Kinect 2.0's higher-resolution camera Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, a demo of classic Rainbow 6 franchise Electronic Arts teased the next entries in two of its biggest franchise at their conference, Mass Effect and Mirror's Edge, and confirmed Battlefield Hardline.

17 Key Takeaways The rise of virtual reality will eventually present brands with the opportunity to test and demo new brands and products from the comfort of people s homes. The DIY development trend should result in innovative ways for marketers to explore brand showcase opportunities within the gaming space, perhaps by tapping into the notion of open source marketing. Leveraging and aligning with gamers notion of nostalgia, including brands, games and characters, can help marketers cultivate deeper relationships with gamers in new and meaningful ways. Real-life gaming experiences for sports brands allows for deeper brand integrations that provide genuine value and enhance gameplay for users.

18 Overheard at E3 The video game industry is on a learning curve and getting better at what other content industries have done for decades, finding the right way to get the maximum value out of catalog content, reintroducing it or introducing it to other audiences that didn t pick it up the first time around. This week we share a common purpose with our friends at Sony, Nintendo, and the developers and publishers in our industry. - Phil Spencer, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Game Studios - Andrew House, Chief Executive & President, Sony Computer Entertainment I bet you remember the first game you fell in love with too. Those of us who play games know that there's nothing quite like them in the world. And those of us that love Nintendo know that no matter what's going on in our lives, we can always count on these games to deliver fun and great gameplay. Because it's Nintendo. - Reggie Fils-Aime, President, Nintendo of America

19 Thank you to all the contributors! For questions, please contact: Whitney Fishman Zember